Where is Tong?

Where is Tong? is a Thai movie with some intriguing
ideas that are barely touched upon, but leave you provoked
nonetheless.

The plot is fairly simple: In a small province in rural Thailand, five
young children tease a crazy old lady. Their attitude changes when she
saves the life of one of the children from an incoming train and ends
up in the hospital in a critical condition. To make amends, the
children set out to Bangkok to find out the wherabouts of her son Tong
who ran away from home after witnessing his father abusing his mother.

The children arrive in Bangkok after having their money stolen on the
train by a con artist. Hungry and lost in the city which has been
plagued by a serial killer, they team up with two shady characters
dealing drugs, as well as clothes taken off of bodies about to be
buried/cremated. They pursue several false leads in their search for
Tong, but the movie ends in a dramatic confrontation.

There's a psychotic feel to this movie which partly comes from the
fact that it's being done using a limited budget and without the
facilities that Hollywood studios have access to. The dream sequences
are very surreal. For a movie that can ostensibly be considered as
being made for children (it's almost Famous Five-like),
it touches upon the effects of violence (domestic and otherwise),
child abuse, and friendship in a rather disturbing manner.

I liked the messages in the film, but not all the child actors
have the calibre to pull off the ambition of the film. A particular
stand out is the actress playing the lone girl in the gang of five. As
I say above, the movie is thought-provoking and definitely worth
checking out, if you get a chance.